Introduction: The following is part of a continuing series of articles by Mr.
Steve Miller on the selection of European-based chefs-de-race. Mr. Miller is a
Thoroughbred owner and correspondent from the UK and an acknowledged pedigree
authority. Rainbow Quest is assigned as the 206th chef-de-race
in the split Classic/Solid category.

Rainbow Quest far from over

TWENTY-FIVE years old and one hundred stakes winners not out, talk of Rainbow
Quest’s demise is decidedly exaggerated. The son of Blushing Groom
(Brilliant/Classic chef-de-race) has reached the milestone of 100 stakes
winners (in US terms at least) following
Daramsar’s win in the Grand Prix de Clairefontaine-Haras du Logis in France. As
if to mark the occasion the stallion has also become the latest member of the
chef-de-race (chief of breed) roster as a split Classic/Solid influence.
In terms of what we in Britain refer to as black-type winners (Group and Listed
races) he is the sire of 93 winners, 17 Group/Grade 1 winners and seven Classic
winners from 144 black-type performers.

Rainbow Quest, who stands at Khalid Abdullah’s Banstead Manor Stud in Cheveley
near Newmarket, still covers at least 40 mares a season and has always been
limited to 75. Simon Mockridge, the stud manager at Banstead Manor, explained
that the stallion has never been made to take on big books of mares and is still
hale and hearty as a result.

As a
colt, the Jeremy Tree-trained son of Blushing Groom was Champion three-year-old
stayer in England in 1984 and joint top-rated horse in Europe in 1985 – the
winner of six races between two and four, including the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de
Triomphe and Coronation Cup and the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes. He was
placed second in three other Group 1s: the Irish Derby, the Eclipse and the
Dewhurst Stakes, as well as the Group 3 Craven Stakes and placed third in the
Prix du Jockey Club (behind Darshaan and Sadler’s Wells) and the King George VI
& Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes. He also ran fourth in the 2,000 Guineas.

As a two-year-old he was runner-up to the brilliant El Gran Senor in the
Dewhurst and second to the same horse in the Irish Derby at three. At four he
was runner-up to Pebbles in the Eclipse and placed in the King George before
saving the best for last in winning perhaps the world’s greatest all-age race at
Longchamp – following disqualification of first past the post Sagace who was
adjudged to have twice bumped Rainbow Quest.

Rainbow Quest had the distinction of achieving Timeform ratings of at least 130
at the ages of two, three and four (130, 131 and 134 respectively).

His sire Blushing Groom was Champion 2-y-o in France in 1976 and Champion Miler
in Europe in 1977. He notched up seven wins, including five Group 1s and in
addition to Rainbow Quest is the sire of
Nashwan, Arazi, Blushing John, Mount Livermore, Snow Bride, Groom Dancer,
Baillamont, Sillery, Rahy, Al Bahathri, etc.

Rainbow Quest’s Group/Grade 1 winners, ranked
in order of most stamina potential to least stamina potential, according to the
Dosage index (DI), are:

Horse

(Dam sire)

Profile

DI

CD

Edabiya

(Darshaan)

8-0- 9- 3-10 = 30

0.71

-0.23

Quest for Fame

(Green Dancer)

9-0-11- 4- 4 = 28

1.07

+0.21

Sought Out

(Charlottown)

10-0-10- 2- 6 = 28

1.15

+0.21

Croco Rouge

(Alleged)

12-3- 9- 7- 5 = 36

1.18

+0.28

Knight’s Baroness

(True Knight)

10-0- 6- 4- 4 = 24

1.18

+0.33

Special Quest

(Nureyev)

10-0-22- 2- 4 = 38

1.24

+0.26

Fiji

(Explodent)

9-0- 7- 2- 4 = 22

1.32

+0.36

Millenary

(Dancing Brave)

9-1-12- 2- 4 = 28

1.33

+0.32

Sunshack

(Roberto)

10-2-20- 2- 4 = 38

1.38

+0.32

Raintrap

(Roberto)

10-2-20- 2- 4 = 38

1.38

+0.32

Rainbow Dancer

(Riverman)

12-6-13- 3- 8 = 42

1.40

+0.26

Nedawi

(Northern Dancer)

13-1-14- 2- 6 = 36

1.40

+0.36

Bright Generation

(Young Generation)

10-0- 6- 4- 4 = 22

1.44

+0.45

Spectrum

(Irish River)

9-4- 9- 2- 4 = 28

1.67

+0.43

Armiger

(Northern Dancer)

14-2-18- 2- 4 = 40

1.67

+0.50

Urgent Request

(Caro)

10-4-10- 2- 4 = 30

1.73

+0.47

Saumarez

(Welsh Pageant)

16-0-10- 2- 4 = 32

1.91

+0.60

Looking at these as a group the DIs look bigger than they should for a bunch of
essentially 12 furlong-plus and Cup race performers (with just one with a DI
below 1.00 and a negative CD).

Examining data from Weatherbys’ The Statistical Record for winning distances of
sires progeny (three-year-olds and above) Rainbow Quest has an average winning
distance (AWD) for his progeny of 10.9 furlongs. The distribution of winning
distances from a sample of 415 winners is as follows:

5f

6f

7f

8f

9f

10f

11f

12f

13f

14f & 14f+

0

6

19

62

21

83

39

108

20

57

21% of the sample was successful at up to a mile, with just over a third (34.5%)
successful at 9-11 furlongs. The remaining 44.5% were successful at a
mile-and-a-half, or more. With just over 20% winning at up to and including 8
furlongs, 79% of the sample won at middle distances or beyond. 18.5% won at
distances in excess of 12 furlongs. The distribution of winning distances for
the sample shows prepotent influence for stamina over speed with a concentration
(over 55%) at 10-12 furlongs inclusive.

Looking at Classic/Solid chef-de-race Sadler’s Wells – a direct
contemporary of Rainbow Quest – with a very similar headline AWD of 11.1
furlongs, yields interesting comparison:

5f

6f

7f

8f

9f

10f

11f

12f

13f

14f & 14f+

0

1

20

65

52

215

78

208

26

107

11% of the sample of 772 winners were successful at up to a mile, with just
below 45% (against 34.5% for Rainbow Quest) successful at 9-11 furlongs. The
remaining 44% were successful at a mile-and-a-half or more against a similar
figure for Rainbow Quest. 17% won at distances in excess of 12 furlongs (against
Rainbow Quest’s 18.5%). The concentration at 10-12 furlongs inclusive for
Sadler’s Wells is 65% (compared with Rainbow Quest’s 55%).

Consequently, although both Rainbow Quest and Sadler’s Wells have AWDs on or
around 11 furlongs (based on these samples, 10.9 and 11.1 respectively) the
shift to stamina has slightly more emphasis with Rainbow Quest. Despite Rainbow
Quest also having a greater percentage of winners at up to and including a mile
than Sadler’s Wells the greater intensity of Sadler’s Wells at 10-12 furlongs
also causes Rainbow Quest to have a little more bias toward stamina. Expressed
differently we might say that Rainbow Quest’s distribution is more dilute across
the distance range than his contemporary, but essentially similar.

This overall distribution places Rainbow Quest in either a Classic/Solid (like
his dam sire Herbager) or an outright Solid category (in the stamina wing of the
scale). Sadler’s Wells’ split Classic/Solid designation is also biased toward
stamina, but more intense at the centre of the scale. Nevertheless, we are
talking a difference of degree rather than kind and it is clear from this that
Rainbow Quest is (like Sadler’s Wells) showing prepotentcy for his progeny in
the same general range (i.e. middle-distance plus).

With a Classic/Solid designation factored in for Rainbow Quest’s Group/Grade 1
winners we get a shift from DIs above 1.00 and positive CDs (seen in the table
above), to DIs typically below 1.00 with CDs either side of zero (in the table
below). The order in which they appear is also reshuffled:

Horse

(Dam sire)

Profile

DI

CD

Edabiya

(Darshaan)

8-0-17-11-10 = 46

0.56

-0.33

Knight’s Baroness

(True Knight)

10-0-14-12- 4 = 40

0.74

0.00

Sought Out

(Charlottown)

10-0-18-10- 6 = 44

0.76

-0.04

Fiji

(Explodent)

9-0-15-10- 4 = 38

0.76

+0.00

Bright Generation

(Young Generation)

10-0-14-10- 4 = 38

0.81

+0.05

Croco Rouge

(Alleged)

12-3-17-15- 5 = 52

0.82

+0.04

Millenary

(Dancing Brave)

9-1-20-10- 4 = 44

0.83

+0.02

Special Quest

(Nureyev)

10-0-30-10- 4 = 54

0.86

+0.03

Nedawi

(Northern Dancer)

13-1-22-10- 6 = 52

0.92

+0.09

Sunshack

(Roberto)

10-2-28-10- 4 = 54

0.93

+0.07

Raintrap

(Roberto)

10-2-28-10- 4 = 54

0.93

+0.07

Spectrum

(Irish River)

9-4-17-10- 4 = 44

0.95

+0.09

Rainbow Dancer

(Riverman)

12-6-21-11- 8 = 58

0.96

+0.05

Urgent Request

(Caro)

10-4-18-10- 4 = 46

1.00

+0.13

Armiger

(Northern Dancer)

14-2-26-10- 4 = 56

1.07

+0.21

Saumarez

(Welsh Pageant)

16-0-18-10- 4 = 48

1.08

+0.29

This is much more consistent with a group of St Leger, Prix du Cadran,
Prix Royal Oak,
Chester Vase, Derby, Arc and assorted Cup race winners.

Broodmare sire attributes
Rainbow Quest’s dam I Will Follow was one of 64 stakes winners sired by Herbager
(Classic/Solid chef-de-race). I Will Follow, like Oaks runner-up Slightly
Dangerous, was a daughter of Where You Lead. Slightly Dangerous produced
Warning, Commander In Chief, Dushyantor, Deploy, Yashmak and Jibe.

Rainbow Quest was leading broodmare sire in 2003 and 2004 with 23 individual
black-type performers including North Light (Derby), Rakti (Italian Derby),
Powerscourt (Arlington Million),
Meteor Storm and Polish Summer. Other major winners to which Rainbow Quest is
the dam sire include Kris Kin (Derby) and Footstepsinthesand (2,000 Guineas).
His Group/Grade 1 winners as a dam sire ranked in order of DI are:

Horse

Profile

DI

CD

Powerscourt

7-1-23-11-2 = 44

0.80

0.00

Meteor Storm

3-0-13- 2-0 = 18

1.12

+0.22

Kris Kin

4-4-23- 3-0 = 34

1.34

+0.26

Cosmo Sunbeam

4-0- 9- 1-0 = 14

1.55

+0.50

North Light

4-4-16- 1-1
= 26

1.60

+0.35

Rebelline

4-3-16- 1-0 = 24

1.67

+0.42

Polish Summer

4-5-20- 1-0 = 30

1.73

+0.40

Tradizione

5-3- 7- 3-0 = 18

1.77

+0.56

Footstepsinthesand

6-1- 9- 2-0
= 18

1.77

+0.61

Rakti

4-5-18- 1-0 = 28

1.80

+0.43

Have A Champ

8-2-11- 3-0 = 24

1.82

+0.63

Marotta

3-5- 8- 2-0 = 18

2.00

+0.50

Again only one has a DI of below 1.00, but with
a Classic/Solid designation for Rainbow Quest factored in, we get:

Horse

Profile

DI

CD

Powerscourt

7-1-27-15-2 = 52

0.70

-0.08

Meteor Storm

3-0-17- 6-0 = 26

0.79

0.00

Cosmo Sunbeam

4-0-13- 5-0 = 22

0.91

+0.14

Kris Kin

4-4-27- 7-0 = 42

1.05

+0.12

Tradizione

5-3-11- 7-0 = 26

1.08

+0.23

Footstepsinthesand

6-1-13- 6-0
= 26

1.08

+0.27

North Light

4-4-20- 5-1
= 34

1.13

+0.15

Rebelline

4-3-20- 5-0 = 32

1.13

+0.19

Marotta

3-5-12- 6-0 = 26

1.17

+0.19

Have A Champ

8-2-15- 7-0 = 32

1.21

+0.34

Polish Summer

4-5-24- 5-0 = 38

1.24

+0.21

Rakti

4-5-22- 5-0 = 36

1.25

+0.22

All now have a DI of 1.25 or less (rather than 2.00 or less before factoring in
the Classic/Solid designation) with three below 1.00 (rather than just one
before). One (Powerscourt) moves to a negative CD (from zero) and another
(Meteor Storm) to zero from positive. Many of these are by stallions who impart
influence for sharper distance aptitude than Rainbow Quest, but it seems clear
that Rainbow Quest is adding prepotent stamina where it is lacking. North Light
(by Danehill, who is not a chef-de-race), for example, no doubt derives
his stamina through the Rainbow Quest mare Sought Out (winner of the
Prix du Cadran). In the
case of North Light, a DI and CD of 1.12 and +0.14 respectively point to
a typical Derby-winning profile, whereas without the Classic/Solid influence
factored in North Light’s figures of DI 1.60 and CD +0.35 look short of what is
required for the Derby.

I am very comfortable that by joining his dam
sire Herbager as a Classic/Solid chef-de-race that Rainbow Quest improves
the Dosage system through his inclusion.